Preparing mechanised arc welding equipment for production
Overview
This standard identifies the competences needed to prepare a mechanised MIG/MAG, flux cored wire, submerged arc, TIG or plasma arc welding installation for production, in accordance with approved procedures. You will be required to set up and check both the welding installation and all associated mechanical and electrical apparatus forming part of the mechanised or automated installation. This will include setting up of handling and loading equipment, workholding arrangements, traversing mechanisms, transfer mechanisms and safety equipment, as applicable to the machine type. In setting up the welding conditions, you will be expected to set the electrical conditions, wire feed rate, welding speed, shielding gas supply system and where applicable, flux dispensing and recovery mechanisms. You must produce trial welds and prove that the machine is working satisfactorily before declaring the installation ready for production. Making adjustments to settings to achieve specification and solving machine related problems during production, will also form part of your role.
Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for setting up the welding equipment and to report any problems with the welding activities or equipment that you cannot resolve, or are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant people. You will be expected to work with a minimum of supervision, taking personal responsibility for your own actions and for the quality and accuracy of the work that you carry out.
Your underpinning knowledge will provide a good understanding of your work and will provide an informed approach to applying mechanised welding procedures. You will understand the welding process carried out and its application and will know about the equipment, relevant materials and consumables, in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for setting up the equipment, correcting faults and ensuring that the work output is to the required specification.
You will understand the safety precautions required when working with the welding machine and with its associated tools and equipment. You will be required to demonstrate safe working practices throughout and will understand the responsibility you owe to yourself and others in the workplace.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- work safely at all times, complying with health and safety and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
- follow the relevant joining procedure specification and job instructions for the work to be produced
- check that the equipment is as specified and in usable condition
- obtain the required components and check that the joint preparation complies with the specification
- set up the handling, workholding and associated equipment to achieve correct joint positioning
- select and prepare the appropriate consumables in line with the joining procedure specification
- set and adjust the machine operating conditions to achieve joints of the required quality and within specified dimensional accuracy
- check that all safety mechanisms are in place and that the equipment is operating satisfactorily
- deal promptly and effectively with problems within your control and report those that cannot be solved
- complete relevant documentation in line with organisational procedures
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
the safe working practices and procedures to be observed when setting and operating arc welding installations (including working with machinery; the use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE); machine guards; ventilation and fume extraction; protecting other workers from the effects of the welding arc; machine safety devices; stopping the machine in an emergency; closing the machine down on completion of activities)
statutory requirements, risk assessment procedures and relevant requirements of HASAWA, COSHH and Work Equipment Regulations; safe disposal of waste materials
- the hazards associated with mechanised arc welding machines (such as dangers from the electric arc; live electrical components; fumes and gases; hot slag and metal; grinding and mechanical metal/slag removal; moving parts of machinery) and how they can be minimised
- the basic principles of the relevant mechanised arc welding process (such as using heat to join metals by fusion; forming a weld; use of filler metal; principal features of a welded joint; process principles, parameters, heat input; how variation in the parameters influences the weld features, quality and output; terminology used in welding)
- the key components and features of the equipment (including power source; power range; electrical parameters such as arc voltage, current and duty cycle; wire dispensing and feed mechanisms; flux dispensing and recovery and shielding gas supply; calibration of equipment)
- mechanised and automated welding basic principles (such as types of installations; machine functions: loading, handling, clamping and transfer of components; traversing components or welding head)
- how to extract the necessary information from the component drawings and welding procedure specifications (to include symbols and conventions to appropriate British, European or relevant International standards in relation to work undertaken)
- how to carry out currency/issue checks of the specifications you are working with
- non-consumable electrodes, types, sizes, profiles, selection and maintenance
- types and application of electrodes; the selection, control, handling and storage of filler wires, fluxes and shielding gases
- types of joints applicable and the edge preparation required
- problems that can occur with the welding activities and how these can be overcome (including causes of distortion and methods of control, welding characteristics of parent metals and sources of weld defects; methods of prevention)
- methods of setting up the joint to achieve correct location of components and control of distortion ( work holding methods such as use of jigs/fixtures; component alignment; joint setting to give correct penetration)
- setting up the welding equipment to the welding procedure specification (such as setting electrical conditions and filler wire feed rate; flux dispensing rate; gas flow; welding speed)
- checking that the machine functions to the required specification (such as running pre-production trials to prove that the installation is working satisfactorily)
- organisational quality systems (standards to be achieved; production records to be kept)
- personal approval tests and their applicability to your work
- the extent of your own responsibility and whom you should report to if you have problems that you cannot resolve
Scope/range
Scope Performance
Scope Knowledge
Values
Behaviours
Behaviours:
You will be able to apply the appropriate behaviours required in the workplace to meet the job profile and overall company objectives, such as:
- strong work ethic
- positive attitude
- team player
- dependability
- responsibility
- honesty
- integrity
- motivation
- commitment